Ben Gurion, Meir Expected to Report to Knesset on Mid-east Crisis

Premier David Ben Gurion and Foreign Minister Golda Meir will make statements to the Knesset tomorrow when the House opens for its winter session, it was officially stated here today following the weekly Cabinet meeting. Presumably, at least one of the reports will deal with the current Middle East crisis as reflected in the region as well as in Washington and at the United Nations.

It is known that the full Cabinet discussed the projected reports by the Premier and the Foreign Minister and approved them. Earlier, Mrs. Meir filled in the Ministers on her visits to Washington, the United Nations and Rome.

The Premier returned from his vacation today to attend the Cabinet session. However, during the holidays he met with top Israeli officials on the crisis revolving around Syria and Turkey.

Meanwhile, a top Foreign Ministry official last night told a meeting in Tel Aviv that the USSR does not intend to undermine Israel’s existence but rather keep it as a bogey man which could be used to further Russian subversion of the Arab states. He expressed the view that the current Soviet propaganda campaign is aimed as much against Damascus as against Ankara, and estimated that the present East-West struggle over the Middle East might continue for as long as five years.